The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-07
LEATHER FROM HUMAN SKIN.
A Flourishing Pennsylvania Tannery
Where 1t is Prepared for the Shoe

Fl.on. the Phnadelphia Netrs.

maker.
From the Philadelphia Nctcs.
remember that two or three years ago
incidentally referred to prominent physi-
clan of this city wearing shoes made from
the skin of negroes. He still adheres to that
custom, insisting that the tanned hide of an
African makes the most enduring and the
most pliable leather known to man.
Only last week met him upon the street
with brand new pair of shoes. | looked
at his foot wear, as | always do-his pedal
covering have an irresistible fascination for
me-and said with a smile, is the down
trodden African still beneath your feet!'
In the most matter-of-fact way, and with
out the shadow of smile, he answered, II
suppose you mean to inquire if | still wear
shoes made of the skin of a negro. / GER
talnly do, and don't propose changing in
that respect until | find a leather that is
softer and will last longer and present a
better appearance. | have no sentiment
about this matter. Were | Southerner-in
the American sense of that world might
be accused of being actuated by race pref
udice. But am a foreigner by birth, al
though now an American citizen by natural
ization. | fought in the civil war that the
blacks might be freed. | would use white
mans skin for the same purpose if it were
sire to wear my epidermis upon his feet
after have drawn my last breath he has
my ante-mortem permission
The doctors shoes always exhibit pecu-
liarly rich lustrousness in their blackneSS.
lie assures me that they never hurt his feet.
The new pair he was using when | last saw
him emitted no creaking sound and APP
peared as comfortable as though they had
been worn a month Their predecessors, he
told me, had been in constant use for eight
months He obtains the skin from the
bodies of negroes which have been dissected
in one of our big medical colleges. Theibest
leather is obtained from the thighs The
soles are formed by placing several layers
of leather together. The skin is prepared
by a tanner at Womelsdorf, sixteen miles
from Reading The shoes are fashioned by
a French shoemaker Of this city, who knows
nothing of the true character of the leather
but who often wonders at its exquisite
smoothness and says it excels the finest
French calfskin.
Do not for a moment think that this doc
tor presents an exceptional case of one who
puts the human skin to practical USE Medi-
cal students frequently display a great
variety of articles in which the skin or
| bones of some dissected mortal has been
gruesomely utilized, and in bursts of gener-
osity they sometimes present them to their
friends, who prize them highly. One of the
| dudeSt dudes in town carries a match safe
covered with portion of the skin of a
beautiful young woman who was found
drowned in the Delaware river 1t still
retains its natural color. Another young
man with whom | am acquainted car
ries a cigar case made of negro skin, a
! CHASTITY skull and cross-bones appearing on
one side in relief. One of the best known
surgeons in this country, who resides in
this city, has beautiful instrument case
entirely covered with leather made from
an Africans skin. A young society
lady of this city wears a beautiful pair of
dark slippers, the remarkable lustrousness
of whose leather invariably excites the adj
miration of her friends when they see them
The young doctor who presented them to
! her recently returned from an extended
! foreign tour, and he told her that he had
| purchased them from Turk in Alexandria
and that he did not know what sort of
leather they were made of, but he supposed
| it was the skin of some wild animal AS a
matter of fact, the skin came from a negro
cadaver which once was prone on Jeffer-
son College dissecting table, and the leather
was prepared in Womelsdorf. The rosettes
on the slippers were deftly fashioned from
| the Negroes kinky hair.